Spring Lake Park's Defense Holds Up in Thrilling Prep Bowl Finale
In a back-and-forth thriller, Spring Lake Park edged out Chanhassen 24-21 to claim the Class 5A state football championship at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday. The Panthers' victory marked their second title since 1991 and was set up by an impressive defensive performance.
As the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, Chanhassen had a chance to force overtime with a drive from their own 1-yard line. However, Spring Lake Park's defense stiffened under pressure from defensive end Jamal Smith, forcing two critical third-down incompletions that sealed the win.
The Storm managed one last opportunity with just over a minute left, but senior linebacker Cade Skelly intercepted Calen Truckenbrod on fourth down to set up the Panthers' final celebration. The stop was Skelly's first career interception and marked a turning point in the game.
Spring Lake Park quarterback Nolan Roach had a standout performance, running for 162 yards and two scores while also finding targets through the air. Junior receiver Lemari Brown contributed 58 powerful rushing yards for the Panthers, who outscored Chanhassen by three runs despite allowing an average of over 32 points per game.
Chanhassen's Nathan Ramler was the team's lone bright spot on offense, tossing a late touchdown pass to Peyton Ramsey that cut the deficit to just one point with 24 seconds remaining. However, the Storm were unable to capitalize and fell short in their pursuit of a state championship.
"We came up a play short," said Chanhassen coach Cullen Nelson. "We knew we had to make some plays to win this game."
Spring Lake Park's defense was relentless throughout the game, forcing three turnovers against a team that averaged over 32 points per game. The Panthers' victory capped an impressive postseason run and marked their first state title in a generation.
"This is what you dream of," said Skelly, who finished with 15 tackles for the game. "You just picture yourself as a little kid in that situation, time's running down, it's up to you, you got to make that stop."
The Panthers' coach, John Stewart, praised his team's total effort. "One of the best things about this team is the total effort," he said.
Spring Lake Park's victory marked their first state title since 1991 and sets them up for a strong season in the years to come.
In a back-and-forth thriller, Spring Lake Park edged out Chanhassen 24-21 to claim the Class 5A state football championship at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday. The Panthers' victory marked their second title since 1991 and was set up by an impressive defensive performance.
As the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, Chanhassen had a chance to force overtime with a drive from their own 1-yard line. However, Spring Lake Park's defense stiffened under pressure from defensive end Jamal Smith, forcing two critical third-down incompletions that sealed the win.
The Storm managed one last opportunity with just over a minute left, but senior linebacker Cade Skelly intercepted Calen Truckenbrod on fourth down to set up the Panthers' final celebration. The stop was Skelly's first career interception and marked a turning point in the game.
Spring Lake Park quarterback Nolan Roach had a standout performance, running for 162 yards and two scores while also finding targets through the air. Junior receiver Lemari Brown contributed 58 powerful rushing yards for the Panthers, who outscored Chanhassen by three runs despite allowing an average of over 32 points per game.
Chanhassen's Nathan Ramler was the team's lone bright spot on offense, tossing a late touchdown pass to Peyton Ramsey that cut the deficit to just one point with 24 seconds remaining. However, the Storm were unable to capitalize and fell short in their pursuit of a state championship.
"We came up a play short," said Chanhassen coach Cullen Nelson. "We knew we had to make some plays to win this game."
Spring Lake Park's defense was relentless throughout the game, forcing three turnovers against a team that averaged over 32 points per game. The Panthers' victory capped an impressive postseason run and marked their first state title in a generation.
"This is what you dream of," said Skelly, who finished with 15 tackles for the game. "You just picture yourself as a little kid in that situation, time's running down, it's up to you, you got to make that stop."
The Panthers' coach, John Stewart, praised his team's total effort. "One of the best things about this team is the total effort," he said.
Spring Lake Park's victory marked their first state title since 1991 and sets them up for a strong season in the years to come.
!! I mean, can you blame them? Winning that championship is like, the ultimate goal for any team! And Spring Lake Park's defense was literally on fire 
! Jamal Smith and Cade Skelly were total game-changers 
. The way they just kept putting pressure on Chanhassen and forcing those critical turnovers was like magic 
.
. Coach John Stewart was so right about his team's total effort, it's not just about one player or one game, it's about the whole squad coming together and supporting each other 
.
, they put up a great fight! And hey, losing is part of the game, right? 
. At least they got to experience that thrill of competing in the state championship, it's not every day you get to do that! 
Spring Lake Park's defense was 
on point, totally shutting down Chanhassen's offense when it mattered most. Jamal Smith must've been a beast out there 
. Nolan Roach's performance was insane running for 162 yards and scoring two touchdowns! 
but congrats to Spring Lake Park on their second state title since '91! 
They definitely earned it with that clutch defense 
. Jamal Smith's pressure on that last drive was clutch 
. I'm stoked for those Panthers, they totally deserved it 
!
and lemari brown contributed some major yardage too. anywayz, congrats to spring lake park on their second title in like forever 
. That Jamal Smith guy is a beast